Calpurnia is first and foremost married to Oliver. All the other stuff comes second. All she asks is that he is home for dinner. On time. Tonight she has prepared a lovely lasagna. And he’s late….! It’s true that she married him for his money, but in her way, she loves the routine and predictability of him coming home. Half a bottle of wine later and she’s very worried in this ten minute quirky comedy.
Oliver is attracted to his wife. Especially when she’s cross with him for being late. He’d love to be home with her right now, and not being muscled by five burly suspicious looking guys into the trunk of a car and being dragged into an opium den run by his former room mate. But there he is. And he knows why….
A quirky comedy with a smattering of romance. Because even opium dealers need a little love in their lives!
PRODUCTION HISTORY
Holliston High School, MA, USA – 2019
Author: Nina Berggren
Type: One act play, ten minute play
Genre: Ten minute quirky comedy
Cast: 2M, 1F, 5 bodyguards (non speaking)
Ages of the actors: Adult
Suitable for: Teens up to perform and watch
Length: Ten minutes
Set: The stage is divided in two. On stage right is a kitchen and a kitchen table. On stage left is a warehouse and makeshift opium den.
Level of difficulty: 7/10 – the humor lies in the same story from two different aspects told in two different ways.
Patrick has invited a girl he met online out for a date to his local bar. Although he’s never seen her, he felt that they clicked online and tonight’s the night they meet in person. So when she doesn’t show up and is now ten minutes late, he gets talking to another girl, who promptly whips him at his favorite arcade game in the pub. But where is Patrick’s mystery date in this ten minute romantic comedy script?
Intended as an evening of dinner theatre or for a charity performance, this collection of ten minute plays combines six stories which are linked by a common theme: A mirror. Old, tarnished and apparently priceless. We follow the journey of the mirror through the evening. From the burglary where the burglar steals it for his wife, to the thrift shop where the wife (who never really liked it anyway) dumped it, to the purchase of the mirror by a rich old lady, certain of its value and antiquity. The old lady passes away and then the mirror gets bought from her estate by a young girl. We then see the mirror in the girl’s apartment, in a shop front window at a travel agent and finally getting sold by two homeless people who are convinced they’ve just pulled off the biggest scam of their lives.
Bar the short introductory piece, each play stands well on its own. rare collection by best selling and award winning American playwright Jean Blasiar. This play is available both in digital and printed format.
PRODUCTION HISTORY
Johnson High School, TX, USA – 2022 – THE PLAY ‘MOVING ON’
Length: In total around sixty minutes. The introduction is about 4-5 minutes long and the remainder of the plays are approximately ten minute each.
Cast:
Robbery: 2M Thrift Store: 2F (1M non speaking) Moving On: 1M 1F Am I Good: 2F 1M Read about it: 3M 2F The Intruder: 1M 2F
Ages of the actors:
Robbery: Adult Thrift store: 2 middle aged, 1 middle aged to older Moving On: 1 young F, 1 young M Am I Good: 1 middle aged, 1 young woman, 1 teenage boy Read about it: 2 older M and F, 1 younger M and F, 1 older M The intruder: 1 young F, 2 older M and F
Suitable for: All ages
Set: There are small scene changes between each play. The sets are a follows: The interior of a house at night, a thrift store, an apartment (empty), an apartment (normal), outside a travel agents and the deck of a ship, anywhere outside.
Level of difficulty: 7/10 – the plays are fun and easy to perform and are well written. Take care not to over complicate sets or scene changes could make the evening longer.
THE END OF CLASS – COMEDY SCI-FI SCRIPT FOR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS
It’s first period, April 1 in this script for high school students. The students are sitting in their TV Production/Media classroom waiting for their teacher, Mr Best, to begin the lesson. The bell rings and he leaves the classroom only to return a few seconds later clearly upset. He’s acting very strange, nothing like “cool” teacher the students are used to. Finally he comes out with shocking news that there is nothing out there, outside the classroom. The halls, classrooms, and offices are all empty. Everyone has quite simply vanished. But is it real, is he telling the truth or is it a joke? What should the students do? Who wants to be first to leave? Is this the end?
Genre: Teen, sci-fi, comedy script for high school students
Cast: Cast of nine, 6M 3F
Length: Just over 10 minutes
Ages of the actors: One adult, rest teen
Suitable for: All ages to watch, young teens up to perform
Set:TV Studio and classroom – Hamden HS – 8:25 There are a number of editing stations/computers as well as cameras and equipment used in a high school TV studio.
Level of difficulty: 6/10 easy dialogue. Creating a believable scenario by building tension
HOLIDAY SHORTS – A COLLECTION OF PLAYS FOR THE HOLIDAYS
Seven short plays for both children and adults written around various festivals and the holidays such as Chanukah, the Chinese New year and Christmas. The entire evening of Holiday Shorts may be done in approximately 60 minutes, or one or several plays may be performed individually. Together, there are about 35 roles. No play calls for more than seven actors. The use of puppets is encouraged.
Anansi and his children: An African folk tale about how the fantastic children of Anansi save him when he is swallowed by a giant fish.
Dreidel: A lovely Jewish children’s play set around the festival of Chanukah. A grandparent tells his young granddaughter, Rachel the story of a miracle, that occurred when he was just eight years old. It tells how he accidentally broke his Dreidel that he had carefully made for Chaunkah, and how he was unable to get clay to make another. Until a miracle happened.
First Christmas: A married couple spends their first Christmas together and, despite various setbacks, they discover that their love for each other is all that they need to make Christmas special.
Gifts of the Magi: an adaption of the famous O.Henry tale. A beautiful story about how a poor young couple give up their prized possession to be able to buy each other the perfect Christmas gift.
The Nian: set at the Chinese New Year, a folk tale that tells of how the terrible Nian was banished forever from China by a clever couple that arrive unexpectedly at a terrified village and how the Chinese New year is celebrated every year because of this.
O, Tannenbaum: – a young boy finds his voice at summer camp which brings him closer to his taciturn grandfather.
Yes, Virginia: a young girl isn’t sure that Santa Claus exists anymore.
Performance History:
December 2015 – The Overseas American Army as part of their Christmas plays
Howard S. Billings High School, Quebec, Canada – 2018
Department of Theater Lafayette College, PA, USA – 2019
Recently, Evan’ story My Father’s Robe was published online in Wisdom Crieth Without. This is a traditional story, a very gentle piece that I think will appeal, especially, to those who have aging parents.
Author: Evan Guilford-Blake
Genre: Christmas, festival and plays for the holidays for both adults and children. Includes plays to celebrate the African Kwanzaa and the Chinese new year.
Type: Collection of short one act plays
Length: The entire evening of Holiday Shorts may be done in approximately 60 minutes, or one or several plays may be performed individually.
Anansi and his Children – nine minutes
Dreidel -Twelve minutes
First Christmas – Six minutes
Gifts of the Magi – Twelve minutes
The Nian – Eight minutes
O, Tannenbaum – Eleven minutes
Yes, Virginia – Eight minutes
Number and ages of actors: Together, there are about 35 roles. No play calls for more than seven actors. The use of puppets is encouraged.
Anansi and his Children: 2w (any age), 2m (1 20-50, 1 any age), 1 either (any age), 2 children (1 girl, 1 boy)
Dreidel: (1m (80), 1w (45-50), 1 either (50+), 2 children (girl, 8; boy, 8)
First Christmas: 1m (54); 1w (37)
Gifts of the Magi: 2w (early 20s, 30+), 1m (25), 3 either
The Nian: ( 1m (30+), 3 either (2 any age, 1 40+), 2 children (1girl, 1 boy)
